What is TOEFL test?

What is TOEFL test?
The Test of English as a foreign language ( TOEFL) test is the most widely accepted English-language test in the world. No matter where you want to study, the TOEFL test can help you get there.
Advantages of TOEFL test:
· The TOEFL test gives you more choices about where you want to study.
· TOEFL is accepted by more institutions than any other English-language test in the world — including the top colleges and universities.
· The TOEFL test gives you more convenience and flexibility and is fair and accurate.
· The entire test is taken in one day, which saves you travel time and costs. And, there are more than 4,000 test centres to choose from.
· You can retake the test in just 7 days, if you want to improve your scores.
· The TOEFL test gives you the skills you need to communicate in real-life, academic situations.
· In the classroom and on campus, you will be able to communicate your ideas effectively.
· Listen to lectures, read textbooks and online research, write academic papers and e-mails, and speak with other students and professors.
· All test takers have a similar test-taking experience, which eliminates the inconsistency of interviews that could negatively impact your scores.
· Scores are objective and unbiased. Tests are scored anonymously by ETS-certified experts.
How to register for the TOEFL test?
1. Find the test centres, dates, fees, and disability accommodations
2. See a list of 6,000+ institutions in 110 countries, including almost every university in the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, that rely on TOEFL scores for admissions, scholarship and graduation decisions.
3. One can take the internet-based test (iBT) or the paper-based test (PBT), depending on which format is offered at your test centre.

Point to remember:
· On the teat day one must bring valid identification (ID) or you will not be admitted to the test centre.

Educational Testing Service (ETS) launches TOEFL TV
1. Students can now watch useful videos on a channel available on YouTube- started by Educational Testing Service (ETS), which administrates TOEFL and other tests.
2. The videos will give tips to improve English language skills.
3. The channel will help students who wish to take admissions in any of the 6000 colleges and universities in over 130 countries which accept TOEFL scores.
4. Registered YouTube users can add videos to TOEFL TV by adding them to a group, where they will be reviewed and approved by ETS before posting.
For further details log on to TOEFL TV (www.youtube.com/ TOEFLtv

Career as a Doctor

Post Graduation in Medicine
Introduction: Thousands of years ago surgical instruments were made of stone and surgeries were done without anaesthesia, leading to acute agony for the patient. But now in modern times there are advanced and stainless steel instruments and techniques which has made easier for the doctors as well as patients. Surgery has many branches i.e. vascular surgery, endocrine surgery, Neuro surgery, plastic surgery, cardio thoracic surgery, gastro-intestinal surgery, laparoscopic surgery. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to become a surgeon.
Advantages:
· High Remuneration
· Goodwill
· Growth prospect
· Immense satisfaction when you save a life

Disadvantages:
· Stress
· Lack of facilities in social area
· Long hours of work may disturb health

Admission procedure: There are various criteria to be fulfilled to become a surgeon. Following are listed below:
1. Biology in plus- two. After HSC appear for medical entrance exams. Those who pass, study for an MBBS degree. After MBBS…..
2. Appear for the PG entrance exam
3. Appear for MS in surgery
4. Training as a senior resident
5. Super specialisation in MCh
6. Six years of training makes you a surgeon. At the end of the training one can opt for government job or settle for private practice.
Remuneration: MBBS and Post graduation in general surgery is the basic criteria to practice surgery in India. Approx monthly salary is:
1. Internship: Rs.2000/
2. As a PG trainee: Rs.20000/
3. Post degree training: Rs.40000/
4. Consultant: Rs.60000/ approx and lastly sky is the limit.

Colleges/Institutes:
1. Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, (SGPGI), Lucknow. http://www.sgpgi.ac.in/
2. King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEM), Mumbai. http://kem.edu/
3. Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi. http://mamc.ac.in/
4. All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). http://www.aiims.edu/
5. Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh. http://pgimer.nic.in/

Mumbai’s ICSE and CBSE students’ admission on rocks

· The state government has decided to introduce 90% reservation for SSC students, as 30 to 50% of non-SSC boards i.e. CBSE, IB, ICSE, IGCSE- make it to Mumbai’s top junior colleges every year.
· This year the non-SSC students may find it extremely difficult to get into the city’s top junior colleges, despite of the high score.
· Schools and students fear that this decision will leave many non-SSC students without admissions, and 90% quota is unfair to other boards.
Source: Times of India

Marathi expected to be made compusory in Maharastra schools

· The state education department in a few months is expected to introduce clauses in the no objection certificate (NOC), required for any non-SSC board school to function in the state, that will make it mandatory for these schools to follow certain rules.
· The rules include teaching Marathi in primary classes and adhering to the fee structure prescribed by the state regulatory authority.
· Any school that does not toe the line will not get a No Objection Certificate from the government.
· The state has not issued the NOC’s to new non-SSC schools so the rules will apply to any new non-SSC schools. For the existing 700 non-SSC schools the state will make it mandatory for them to renew their NOC this year.

Source: Times of India

Summer Workshops - Have fun this summer

Do you want to learn something new this vacation? Except for those academic courses…here are some part time activities in which you may get yourself involved, if interested.

Some activities, which you may try out this summer, are:
1. Tarot reading
2. Horse riding
3. Paragliding
4. Rock climbing

Tarot reading: Tarot reading is a very short 6-day course, for all those interested to learn and get into the future. Tarot reading is an interesting art.
· Eligibility: above 18years
· Course fee: Rs.4500/
· Address: Andheri (W), Mumbai
· Contact: 9987279417

Horse riding: Amateur riders club has organised a camp, which has 2 divisions.
One division will teach basic riding to beginners, and the other division camp will impart a little more advanced techniques to those who have some basic knowledge about horse riding. One may also become a member of this club. The course is for just 10 days.
· Eligibility: open to all
· Course fee: Rs.4412 /
· Address: The Amateurs Riders Club, Mahalaxmi race course, Mumbai
· Contact: 9833626677

Paragliding: Paragliding is a extremely short 3 day programme with no prior experience required. There will be total 3 to 5 flights. Nirvana adventures conduct these courses in Kamshet, which is 3hours from Mumbai.
· Eligibility: Above 16 years and healthy all over without any heart or back problems
· Course fee: Rs.9600 /
· Address: Nirvana Adventures, Santacruz (w), Mumbai
· Contact: info@flynirvana.com
· Ph: 022- 26493110 / 26053724

Rock climbing: Rock climbing will be great fun at Arun Samant’s climbing wall in Goregaon. One is the basic course for beginners and the other is at the advanced level.
· Eligibility: Above 9 years
· Course fee: Rs.800/
· Address: Nandadeep High School, Goregaon (E), Mumbai
· Contact: arunsamantclimbingwall@gmail.com Ph: 09820428077

Career in Podiatry

One of the latest and hottest career options in the health care field today is Podiatry.
Anyone looking for a new fascinating career and thinks will be able to diagnose foot problems; a Chiropodist or a Podiatrist is the best career for today. There is an excellent graduate employment rate in India; the demand is growing as people now face greater foot problems. The profession allows for flexible working hours and one can choose as per his choice either to opt for part time or full time employment.

Who needs a Podiatrist?
· Dancers who spent long hours rehearsing and performing, thereby causing injury to their feet
· Children with problems while walking
· People needing minor surgery, like nail surgery or laser treatment
· Sportsmen and women who suffer from injuries to their legs and feet
· Diabetics who have problem with circulation and changing sensation levels in the feet.

Job of a Podiatrist
The main job of a Podiatrist is to assess, diagnose and treat abnormalities and any kind of disease in the foot.

Eligibility: Anyone from science stream, nurses, and doctors to any health care professionals interested in foot care can join the profession.

Duration: For a background specialisation in diabetics only a six-month course is necessary. Otherwise a three or a four-year Diploma Graduate course in Podiatry is compulsory.

Colleges/Institutions: Podiatry is a special field. Even today many Indian universities are yet to adopt this course in the curriculum. Few hospitals actually practice Podiatry. In India there are a few podiatrists who practice this profession. Awareness has yet to spread in the country, and since it’s a new field people need to know how important the profession is.

Career in Sports Engineering

Introduction: If one is a sports person by heart, then certainly this might be the right career. With the rising no. of Indians winning gold medal at Olympics, Sports is certainly the next big thing in India. Sport is the field of Engineering that involves the design, development and testing of sports instruments. This course will definitely make a good career option for Indian Engineers. There is more demand of this course abroad. Indian Universities Olympics sports are the next big things in India. This course is different and interesting and has a great scope in the future.
Career Prospects: The field is quite vast within small and medium size companies as well as large companies like Adidas, Nike, Umbro, and many more. Not only mechanical engineer but also civil, computer, or biomedical engineers scan also make good career in sports engineering.

Job Prospects: A sports Engineer has to be very clear in his concepts. As he is the one who seeks and finds technical answers so as to improve the efficiency of a sportsperson. How does a lawn tennis player increase the speed of his service? This is an e.g. question which a sports engineer has to answer. Big companies like Adidas
hires sports engineers who work on shoes technology to improve the quality. Other sports equipment like ball, bat, badminton racket, bicycle, body movements of players etc are all related factors, which are taken care of by the sports engineer.
Institutes/Colleges: Sports engineering courses are mainly conducted abroad, In India only Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women’s University, Mumbai, offers Diploma in Sports Science and Nutrition, 1-year course
Contact: For further details log on to sndt.digitaluniversity.ac

Numismatics as a Career

Introduction: If your hobby is to collect old and new coins, also rare and modern, then one may earn big bucks or rather make good money or earn millions of rupees if one uses his brains sharply and invest smartly. For e.g. a rare one rupee coin of mintage 1960 went under the hammer for 2,20,000/. Another Rs.10/ coin from British era with queen Victoria’s image was auctioned for Rs.1, 60,000/. One has to always be in touch with the market to find out what is moving and what is not and accordingly decide on what to but and sell. In short the whole game is of demand and supply. With the rising demand for coins in the market, the prices are bound to increase with time. Coin collectors and museums also hire numismatics to catalogue and present their coin collections correctly so that they get a higher price. If one is a student of archaeology, this too equips him to find a foothold in this profession.
Career Scope: There are various options for professionals in the field of numismatics or in the field of study of currency.
· One could be a coin investor,
· Various agents are available in the market; they deal with coins and are updated
· Numismatics offers services to coin investors, museums, auction houses etc.
· There is a great demand for numismatics to detect fakes circulating in the market.
· Photographing a coin is also considered a specialised profession who specialises in clicking coins. Coin photography is taught as a separate subject as part of the syllabus.
Eligibility: Graduation from any stream
Duration: 2year part-time course
Diploma/Degree: MA in Numismatics and Archaeology
Institute/College: Dinesh Mody Institute of Numismatics and Archaeology, University Kalina campus, Santacruz (E), Mumbai, Ph: 9821194585. This is the only institute in Mumbai, which is offering a course in Numismatics.

Career Prospects of a Noble Profession - A Teacher

Career Details:
This is one job, which is not concerned of fashion or demand. But today, teaching is not restricted to a textbook-style method. With technology gaining importance, it becomes necessary for a teacher to link her teaching to current events or provide that kind of information that the student doesn’t know already or is hard to find elsewhere. The teaching field is so vast, having areas of specialization; different skills and type of training are required for different levels. If someone is keen to make difference in a young one’s life, loves to impart information and has that kind of influence on a person, then one might consider teaching as a vocation. As per the government rules a school/college teacher cannot give service to coaching classes as well.S
Qualities of a teacher:
· A teacher not only has to be a friend but also a hard taskmaster when required. Teaching profession requires immense patience and perseverance. One needs to be able to communicate well to be able to develop interest.
· A teacher herself has to be educative, to educate.
· A teacher must have the basic qualities to ensure that the kids are comfortable with her. A teacher must understand, be loving, caring, patient, soft, presentable, and intelligent. In short a teacher plays a great impact on the children’s life. A teacher is a role model for the kids.
Future Prospects: In India a Teacher is always worried regarding her salary, as the cost of living will rise but their pay will not. In abroad Indian teachers are always considered for this profession. Many professors in the top institutes in UK are USA are Indians. Not only the pay but a teacher also gets the respect, which she deserves. An Indian teacher will start at $15000/ approx with a potential to grow as much as $25000/
Basic Qualifications:
1. For Pre-Primary: A basic Early Child Care and Education (ECCE), Full-time Diploma in ECCE, 1year autonomous course
2. For Primary and Secondary level: After Graduation one has to complete B Ed study. After post graduation they are called postgraduate trained teachers (PGTs)
3. For a postgraduate teacher: One needs a postgraduate degree in a particular subject or a doctoral degree is preferred.
4. Special School teachers: Degrees and Diploma in special education is to be done for teaching students with various disabilities.

PG Courses in the Banking Industry

All Post Graduate (PG) courses offered by the Banking Industry

Introduction: The banking sector now offers a variety of PG courses in personal and business lending, bank management, mortgage lending etc. Careers range from investment banking to management, and treasury, which are available to individuals as their interest. Various institutes around the world offer programmes in banking and finance. The banking sector has today emerged as one of the most challenging sectors in the country. Mainly the eligibility criterion is Graduation for the master’s level in India.

Institutes/Colleges:
1. Bangalore Management Academy, Bangalore
2. BLB Institute of Financial Market, Delhi
3. ICFAI University, Agartala
4. Indian Institute of Finance, New Delhi
5. Institute of Finance Banking and Insurance, New Delhi
6. National Institute of Bank Management, Pune
7. Narsee Monjee Institute of Bank Management, Mumbai

Master’s in Banking and Finance programme comparison :
Educircle team has prepared a comparison of various colleges offering: Master’s in banking and finance course in India. This should serve as a guide to candidates who wish to pursue their career in banking and finance.
Click on the image below to read the comparison table:

NDTV Broadcast Training Programme

NDTV Launches Broadcast Training Programme

· The students will be trained with those who have made the news for 20 years.
· The eligibility criteria is Graduate and below 27 years of age
· The 1st batch will start by (March 09’) and 2nd batch by (July 09’)
· For more details log on to www.ndtvmi.com, ph: 01166176306

Master’s of Science in Dietetics and Food Service Management

Introduction: This course is for all those interested in dietetics, food and nutrition, and health. This course has been developed with a view to address the needs of training forces and developing manpower like (dieticians, nutrition counsellors, food service managers, etc) for emerging employment sectors in hospitals, community dietetics, health clinics and food service management. Those who are already in the service industry can use this course to upgrade their knowledge for professional competencies. Professionals who want to set up their own clinics can also opt for this course.
Duration: The course can be completed in minimum of 3years and maximum of 5 years, along with a minimum six week internship in the second year to gain hands on training.
Fees: Rs.9100/ (1st year), Rs.9000/ (2nd year)
Diploma/Name of the course: Master’s of Science in Food and Service Management – MSC (DFSM)
Institute/College: Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), (New Delhi) and 31 centres that IGNOU has throught India
Contact: For further details log onto www.ignou.ac.in

PG in Legal Process Outsourcing (LPO)

Eligibility: Law Graduates and Final year students
Duration: 1 year
Diploma/ Course name: Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Process Outsourcing (PGDLPO)
Fees: Rs. 15000/
Location: Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bangalore
Institutes/Colleges: The Indira Gandhi National Open University – School Of Law launches PGD in LPO
Contact: For further information log on to www.ignouonline.ac.in/pgdlpo

Certificate course in Archaeology

What is Archaeology?
Archaeology is the branch of anthropology that studies prehistoric people and their cultures. Archaeology often focuses upon the life and culture of ancient peoples. Archaeologist is a person who studies about the remains from a past human culture: art, tools, games, skeletons, buildings, trash, anything left behind. In short "Archaeology is our voyage to the past, where we discover who we were and therefore who we are." Camille Paglia
Introduction: Archaeology is not just digging for ancient treasures, but there is much more in this field to study and gain knowledge about our history. There is a great demand for students of archaeological background. Even in the tourism industry such people tailor various trips and act as guides for the various tourists visiting various sites especially historical sites. Normal guides just give information from guidebooks and are unable to answer any query of the tourist, whereas a student with an archaeology background is better equipped to handle tourist queries and provide in-depth knowledge to the tourists. A course in archaeology also equips one with the basics of ancient Indian languages like Pali, Modi, and Prakriti etc. Those who learn ancient languages are also in great demand to translate old government files and make it relevant in today’s age. There is a demand in museums also where one can impart historical knowledge before visitors as a guide.
Remuneration:
· The Archaeological survey of India employs qualified archaeologists as assistant archaeologists. As per the 5th pay commission, at entry level one could earn a sum of Rs.15000/.
· In the tourism industry a trainee at entry level could earn Rs.12000/
Institutes/Colleges:
Mumbai University’s extra-mural department offers a certificate course in Archaeology http://www.extramural.org/

Competence in Software Technology Examination (CST)

What is CST?
CST is a nationwide examination conducted annually for graduates in any field by C- DAC, Mumbai, an R&D Institution of Government of India, and Department of Information Technology, Ministry of communication and Information Technology.
Eligibility:
A degree in any subject or engineering Diploma, Final year degree students can also appear for CST exams held every year
Levels of Examination:
E (Entry Level)
I (Intermediate Level)
D (Diploma Level)
G (Graduate Level)
Examination Centres:
Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Coibatore, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur, Patna, Pune, Thane, Thiruvananthapuram
Admissions through CST:
· Full time Post Graduate Diploma in Software Technology at C- DAC centres (FPGDST)
· PGPM at International School of Technology Management, Bangalore
· MCA at Goa University
· MCA at NMIMS University, Mumbai
· MCA at Alliance Business Academy, Bangalore
· BCIDS at Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai
· M.Sc (IT) at Smt. Parvathibai Chowgule College, Goa
Contact: For further details log on to http://cst.cdacmumbai.in/

Post Graduation in Disability Management

PG Diploma in Disability Management For Medical Practitioners (PGDDM-MP)
Eligibility: MBBS or equivalent qualification in Ayurveda, Unani, Sidha, and Homeopathy medicine. Preference is given to those who have 2 years experience in the areas.
Duration: Minimum 1 year, and Maximum 3 years
Fees: Rs.12000/
Institutes/Colleges: Indira Gandhi National Open University IGNOU), New Delhi offers The PG Diploma in Disability Management
Contact: www.ignou.ac.in

Career in Dramatics

Introduction: A course in Dramatics offers much wider scope than an acting course. If one wishes to be in limelight, enjoys performing live shows, acting is his passion, life to him means to be under the arc lights, this is the perfect career option. It may not fetch much money, but guarantees a place under the arc lights. Dramatics covers all aspects of the stage like lights, make-up, direction, production, set design, costumes, script writing etc. There are certificate as well as post graduation courses in Dramatics. At present there is great demand for fresh talent.
Career Options: There are various career options available in this field, a few of them are:
1. Stand-up Artists
2. Narrator
3. Stage Presenter
4. Announcer
5. Make-up Artist
6. Dubbing Artist
7. Script Writer
8. Costume Designer
Remuneration: Approx it ranges from Rs.200/ to Rs.1000/ per show or per play. The amount also increases depending upon the brand value, play’s success and one’s talent.
Institutes/Colleges:
1. Mumbai university’s Institute of Extra-Mural studies, Kalina, offers Certificate course in Dramatics. Fees: Rs.4, 000/ http://www.extramural.org/
2. Madhumati Academy of Acting, Dance, Vile Parle, Mumbai, and Ph: 02226204647
3. Ashok Kumar’s Academy of Dramatics Arts, Chembur Mumbai
4. Anupam Kher, Prithvi Theatre, Alyque Padamsee, Rajat kapoor, also offers courses in Dramatics.

Changes to be done by the CBSE Board

Introduction: The CBSE board invited suggestions from students on its website and received a massive response. The board to which 9000 schools are affiliated, are making changes to get students playa vital role in decision making. The board put up a link ‘Interact with the chairman’ 4months back, on its website and got 5000 responses. The students have come up with many suggestions and the board is planning to implement on it. These are a few suggestions from parents and children about which the board is thinking to act upon; few of them are listed below:
· The board is thinking of allowing the use of calculators during accounting exams.
· The CBSE board will soon begin counselling parents about exams, syllabus, and the children.
· Another female student has suggested making the life skills programme more gender specific.
· Another suggestion was to introduce practicals for subjects other than science.
Conclusion: Based on the queries a list of FAQ’s have been prepared and sent to schools, so that they can talk to students about it.

SSC Board to enquire into good results of Schools

· The school fails the weak students of STD 9th, so that the school has cent percent results in the SSC board exams.
· The students who have been detained in STD 9th, then often choose to give private SSC board exams, so that they are able to save their detained year.
· The students who opt to give their exams privately, out of them 70% pass. That shows that there was no need to detain them.
· The Mumbai regional board will question the school concerned if their SSC results are outstanding. The field level education officers have been instructed to inspect schools in order to gauge how many students the school has failed in class 9th.

Courses offered in Gorgeous Skin Academy

Get trained under internationally renowned medical cosmetologists and Dermo-Surgeon- Dr. Purnima Mhatre

Course for Doctors:
Duration: A 4month course (36 sessions)
Fees: Rs. 30,000 for 1st 25seats only
Certificate/ Diploma: Diploma in Skin Aesthetics, includes practical as well as theoretical training in Advance Medical Cosmetology
Course for Non-Doctors:
Duration: A 2month course (24 sessions)
Fees: Rs. 12,000/ for 1st 25seats only
Certificate/ Diploma: Certificate course in Skin Therapy, includes practical as well as theoretical training in advanced skin care.
Contact Details:
For further details log onto www.getgorgeous.co.in, www.drpurnimaskinclinic.com
Ph: 022650055809, 02265051020